i) Compounds per se
Very few 2-hydroxyalkenoic acids have been reported in the literature. These are:
2-hydroxy-4-hexenoic acid, whose synthesis is described in a paper by Mikami et al entitled "Novel silyl triflate-mediated [2,3] Wittig sigmatropic rearrangement. The possible interpretation of an oxygen ylide", published in Tetrahedron Lett. 1986. 27(37), 4511-14, and abstracted in Chem. Abs. (1987), 107, 77286h.
2-Hydroxy-4-heptenoic acid, whose synthesis is described in a paper by Achmatowicz et al entitled
"Monoenic syntheses. I. On monoenophilic reactivity of ethyl mesoxalate", published in Roczniki Chem. 36, 1791-1813 (1962), and abstracted in Chem. Abs. (1963), 59 8610d.
2-Hydroxy-4-octenoic acid, whose synthesis is described in a paper by Brenner et al, entitled "Some aspects of the chemistry of 1,1,1-trihaloalk-4-en-ols, the ene adducts obtained from reaction of chloral and bromal with alkenes", published in J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 1984 (3), 331-42, and abstracted in Chem. Abs. (1984), 101, 38095b.
2-Hydroxy-4-dodecenoic acid, whose synthesis is described in a paper by Takeshi et al entitled "Application of [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangements in organic synthesis. III. The [2,3] Wittig rearrangement of 2-alkenyloxyacetic acids and its application to the stereocontrolled synthesis of .beta.,.gamma.-unsaturated aldehydes and conjugated dienoic acids", published in Tetrahedron Lett. 1981, 22(1), 69-72, and abstracted in Chem. Abs. (1981), 95, 6442d.
It is apparent that other 2-hydroxyalkenoic acids have not previously been disclosed in the literature, and an aspect of the invention is accordingly concerned with certain new 2-hydroxyalkenoic acids, and their synthesis.